Assemblywoman Margaret M. Markey and the Queens Tourism Council Kick Off New York State Museum Week at the Louis Armstrong House Museum

May 24, 2012

Members of the Queens Tourism Council joined Assemblywoman Margaret Markey at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona to kick off the state’s first-ever Museum Week and put a focus on museums, historic sites and cultural sites in Queens.

Corona, New York – Assemblywoman Margaret M. Markey and the Queens Tourism Council gathered at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, on May 24 to kick off the first ever New York State Museum Week, sponsored by the NYS Economic Development Department’s “I Love NY” program.

From May 31 to June 6 all around the Empire State, such sites as museums, zoos, botanical gardens, historic homes, living history museums, arts centers and cultural organizations will participate in this celebration by providing special activities, discounts and promotional offers to those who want to discover the fascinating worlds of art, photography, history, science, nature, pop culture and more.

“Museum Week is a wonderful way to put the spotlight on the terrific array of educational, cultural and historic attractions that are available in Queens and throughout the state,” said Assemblywoman Margaret M. Markey, who is chair of the Assembly Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sports Development Committee. “I urge every Queens resident to visit Louis Armstrong House or one of the other participating sites and attractions during this special week and to look for other opportunities throughout the year to visit these and others of the many museums, historic and cultural sites located throughout our exciting borough.”

The Armstrong House and four other Queens locations – Flushing’s Queens Botanical Garden, Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image, Jamaica’s King Manor Museum and the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum at Citi Field – are among roughly 250 venues that are formally participating in Museum Week. Statewide, the diverse group includes MoMA – the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn’s Coney Island, the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, the Lucy Ball Desi Arnaz Museum of Comedy in upstate Jamestown and even the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in Chautauqua County.

The specials at Queens sites vary. The Queens Botanical Gardens, for example, will offer half-off admission and a 10 percent discount at its gift shop (plus 25 percent for selected decorative glassware) as part of this celebration. Meanwhile, the Museum for the Moving Image will offer a two-for-one admission special to visitors who mention Museum Week. For a full list of participants and their offers, go to iloveny.com.

“The Queens Tourism Council is very excited about New York State Museum Week,” stated QTC Executive Committee Chair Jeffrey Reich-Hale, who is also the director of sales and marketing at the newly opened Wyndham Garden Long Island City Manhattan View. “As Queens is the most diverse county in the U.S., we invite tourists from everywhere to enjoy all that the borough has to offer during this period. Personally, I am excited to visit the Queens Botanical Garden, where there’s a special art exhibit done with help from the Jamaica Estates Association.”

“The Louis Armstrong House Museum is thrilled to participate in the first New York State Museum Week. Queens has it all – science museums, art museums, film museums, botanical gardens, historic houses, and so much more,” stated Armstrong House Director Michael Cogswell. “Museum Week is a great opportunity to visit, or revisit, the Armstrong House. It’s a National Historic Landmark visited six days per week by people from all over the world. It’s the only jazz musician’s home anywhere that is completely authentic and open to the public – and it’s right here in Queens!”

“Tourism to boroughs other than Manhattan has been largely responsible for the general increase in tourism to New York City,” said Museum of the Moving Image Executive Director Carl Goodman. “The Museum has seen 200,000 visitors a year with one-quarter of them from outside the Metropolitan Area. Queens has arrived!”

The Queens Tourism Council – a coalition that includes everything from hotels to museums to stadiums to a comedy club – promotes the borough as a place to stay, play, eat, watch sports, appreciate art and enjoy family activities.

Assemblywoman Markey, whose district includes Maspeth, Woodside and parts of Long Island City, Middle Village, Astoria and Sunnyside, chairs the Assembly Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee. For media information, call Mike Armstrong at 718-651-3185.